Upholstery assembly



April 2, 1963 J. FEINERMAN UPHOLSTERY ASSEMBLY Filed April 25, 1961 [III] j I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII w m m W F K m w United States Patent W 3,083,496 WHOLSTERY ASSEMBLY Jack Feinerman, 28 Chapel St., New London, Conn. Filed Apr. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 105,337 2 Claims. (Cl. 45-138) The present invention relates generally to tufted furniture upholstery and specifically to a new improved method of manufacturing tufted furniture and to the tufted furniture assembly produced by utilizing that method.

Tufted upholstered furniture is well known and a variety of differing methods of manufacture and constructions have been employed throughout the years. Unfortunately, it is a characteristic of these methods and construction that a relatively large amount of highly skilled labor is required and produces adequate finished products. Basically, the heretofore known techniques comprised the formation, by hand, of a tufted cushion including the tacking of a front panel of muslin to a smaller rear panel of burlap at selected tacking points. St'ufiing was then formed and molded by hand between the panels which Were sewn together to form individual pockets. The thus formed cushion was then used as a base upon which a layer of upholstery facing material was applied. The upholsterer was required to carefully tack the facing material to the cushion and to fold and form the fabric to the contours of the cushion, sewing the material, tackingand placing upholstery buttons as the facing material was applied. This operation was done on the article of furniture by reaching underneath or in back of the upholstery panel to pass a button therethrough to fasten same to the internal springs, webbing or other internal construction. The upholsterer was usually required to work in a stooped position such that he could reach both the top facing of the furniture as well .as the under surface. The skill required of an upholsterer forming such a tufted configuration is among thehighestof that known in the upholstery trade and even the most skilled upholstery laborer required a relatively large amount of time in order to form a suitable tufted assembly.

In my United. States Patent No. 2,725,927, entitled Article of Upholstery and Method of Making the Same, which issued on December 6, 1955, I described a method of forming a stuffed upholstery cushion comprising an envelope having a front and back panel secured to each other along their outer edges and at spaced points inwardly of those edges. The space points within the edges of the cushion were formed to provide individual diamond shaped areas having the general diamond shaped configuration of tufted furniture. With the utilization of such an upholstery panel, a tremendous savings was accomplished in time, labor and expense in the forming of tufted furniture. of course, after the stuffed envelope of my prior patent was formed, it was necessary to apply a facing material over the front panel of the cushion by the usual well known process in order to provide a finished tufted assembly including an upholstery material facing. Although a substantial labor savings has been introduced in tufted upholstered furniture by the invention disclosed in my aforementioned patent, the application of the upholstery fabric to my tufted cushion has involved high labor costs which, of necessity, require that the retail price of tufted furniture be considerably higher than that of other upholstered furniture.

Therefore, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a method whereby upholstery fabric may be inexpensively and efficiently applied to a stuffed cushion to form a finished tufted upholstery assembly.

Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for applying an upholstery fabric to Bfidfijihh Patented Apr. 2, i963 a cushion as described inmy aforementioned patent to produce a tufted upholstery assembly of superior quality, which isfabricated on a bench and then applied as an assembly to an article of furniture.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved and substantially lower cost upholstery assembly of a tufted nature including a tufted cushion and an upholstery fabric facing.

In accordance with an illustrative embodiment, demonstrating features of the present invention there is provided a tufted upholstery assembly comprising a stuffed cushion including a rear panel and a front panel which has formed therein a plurality of diamond shaped areas. The front and rear panel of the stuffed cushion are secured together around their respective edges and inwardly of said edges at the corner of the diamond shaped areas. The upholstery assembly further includes an upholster facing applied over the front panel of the cushion and a uniform layer of batting positioned between the upholstery facing and the front panel of the cushion. The upholstery facing is larger than the front panel of the: cushion and tacking points are defined thereon at points corresponding to the corners of the individual diamond shaped areas of the cushion. Means are provided to secure the facing material at the tacking points and to the cushion at the corners of the diamond shaped areas and to secure the batting therebetween with the facing. beingv formed with a plurality of fold lines between the individual tacking points thus to define a plurality of diamond shaped areas on the upholstery facing and to form a tufted furniture assembly.

The method of forming the tufted upholstery assembly described above comprises the steps of forming a tufted cushion from a front panel which may be of muslin and a rear panel which may be of burlap such that said cushion includes a plurality of diamond shaped areas having adjacent sides. Afterthe cushion is formed the process is continued by placing a layer of batting over the front panel of the cushion co-extensive with the edges thereof, forming an upholstery facing for the assembly of a size larger than that of the stuffed cushion, and defininga series of tacking points inwardly at the edges of said facing at points corresponding to the points of the corners of the tufted diamond shaped areas of said cushion. Further steps include securing the facing material to the cushion with the uniform layer of batting positioned therebetween. This securement is accomplished by placing upholstery buttons through the facing at thetacking points, through the batting, and then through the stuffed cushion at the corners of the diamond shaped areas. This process results in a finished upholstery assembly of high quality wherein the upholstery facing material forms fold lines between the upholstery buttons to provide attractive diamond shaped areas and wherein a furniture cushioning of superior quality is produced.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features andadvantages of the present invention will be best appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of apresently preferred illustrative embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view illustrating the individual components of the upholstery assembly including the stuffed cushion, the uniform layer ofmatting, the upholstery facing layer and the individual upholstery buttons;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the upholstery assembly according to the present invention viewed from the front of the assembly;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows illustrating the construction of the upholstery assembly; and,

FIG. 4- is a perspective view of an article of furniture incorporating an upholstery assembly according to the present invention.

Referring now specifically to' the drawings, there is shown an upholstery assembly generally designated by the numeral 10. The upholstery assembly 19 comprises the stufied cushion 12, a layer of batting 14, a. sheet of upholstery fabric comprising an upholstery facing 16 and a plurality of upholstery buttons 18. When fabricated, the assembly 16 incorporates the layer of batting 14 between the facing layer 16 and the cushion 12 with the individual buttons 18 passed through a series of tacking points on the upholstery facing 16, through the batting 14, and through the stufied cushion 12. The buttons 18 are placed in the assembly 16 at points which define and create a plurality of individual diamond shaped areas 29 such that fold lines 22 are formed in the facing 16 interconnecting the tacking points of the upholstery buttons 18 to form the edges of the diamond shaped areas 26. After the individual components 'shown in FIG. 1 are assembled into assembly 1t." depicted in FIG. 2, the tufted upholstery assembly It) is then secured, by its edges, to the frame of an article of furniture such as the chair 2-4- illustrated in FIG. 4.

The method according to my present invention begins with the utilization of a stuffed upholstery cushion generally of the type described in my aforementioned Patent No. 2,725,927. The upholstery cushion, generally designated by the numeral 12 in FIG. 1, includes a rear panel 26 constructed of a relatively stifi material such as burlap, and a front panel 23 of a more flexible material such as muslin. The panels 26, 28 are secured together at a number of different points forming a plurality of individual pockets which serve to define a plurality of diamond shaped cushion areas 39 having corners 32. The

panels 26, 28 may be secured together along their ex-.

ternal edges and at the corners 32 of the diamond-shaped areas 31 and, in addition, borders 34 are formed between the corners 32 defining the boundary lines of the diamondshaped areas 30. The envelope formed from the panels 26, 28 may then be stuffed by a blower system as described in my aforementioned patent. Although it is preferable to use the advantageous method of forming the upholstery cushion 12 illustrated in my patent, the prior art methods of hand stuffing may be employed to form the cushion 12 which forms a building block upon which the present invention may be practiced.

After the upholstery cushion 12 has been formed, a uniform layer of batting 14, of approximately the same size as the cushion 12, is placed on top of the cushion 12. It has been found desirable to employ materials such as dacron for the batting 14, however, a satisfactory result would be achieved from the use of the well known cotton batting. I have found that a layer of batting material of approximately one and one half inches, in.

its undeformed state, is suitable for the batting 14.

A piece of upholstery fabric, of the type desired to form the upholstery facing of an article of furniture to be constructed, is cut out of a size greater than the size of the uphostery cushion 12. It will be readily appreciated that the upholstery facing material 16, for use in conjunction with the batting 14 and the cushion 12, must be of a greater area than the cushion 12 since the upholstery facing material 16 will be formed and folded to define the individual diamond-shaped areas 20 and will be shaped to provide the bowed out individual area which form the desirable surface undulations for a tufted upholstery unit. A plurality of individual tacking points 16a are indicated on the facing panel 16, either by simply marking the material at appropriate points, a indicated by the cross marks in FIG. 1, or by physically punching a small hole through the material. The location of the marking points 16:: are such to provide sufiicient material for the shaping of the facing 16 to form the individual diarnond shaped pattern areas 20 of the assembly 10 and to provide sufficient material for the fold lines 22.

The worker who forms the upholstery assembly 10, given the individual components shown in FIG. 1 and described above, merely must take individual upholstery buttons 18 and, starting from one end of the assembly 10, insert the buttons 18 through the tacking points 16a in the facing 16, through the batting 14, and into the corners 32 of the diamond shaped patterns 30 on the upholstery cushion 12. in the present illustrative embodiment, the upholstery buttons 13 are of the type having an upholstered cap 36 and a pair of depending legs 38 which may be spread apart to provide securement for the facing 16 to the rear panel 26 of the cushion 12. Of course, many type of Well known appropriate buttons may be employed according to the present invention. a

As each upholstery button 18 is secured through the layers 12, 14, 16 of the assembly 19, they serve to define a number of individual diamond shaped pattern areas 29. Furthermore, as the buttons 18 are placed within their respective tacking points 16a, the front panel 16 forms within itself the individual fold lines 22 between the buttons 18. These fol-d lines are formed because of the stretching of the facing material 16 over the undulated surfaces of the cushion 12 and because of the precise placement of the tacking points 16a when the panel 16 is laid out in the first instance. In addition to the formation of the fold lines 22 defining the borders of the diamond shaped areas 2%), there are formed a number of additional fold lines 46 which extend outwardly toward the edge of the assembly 19 from the outermost buttons 18. These fold lines cooperate to form a group of individual pattern areas 4-2 which border the diamond-shaped pattern areas 20 in the interior portions of the furniture assembly 10.

After the insertion of all the upholstery buttons 18 into the tacking points 16:: of the facing panel 16 and securing same to the stuffed cushion 12, the completed assembly 1% may be then placed upon the frame of an appropriate article of furniture and stapled, nailed or otherwise secured in position over webbing, springs, or advantageously, over a flat section of plywood, it being appreciated that the cushioning within the cushion 12 and the batting 14 provides sufficient resilient characteristics eliminating the requirement for supporting springs behind the upholstery assembly 10.

The contrast between the above described method of producing an upholstery assembly and that known in the prior art will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the upholstery art. Whereas the heretofore known methods 'mvolve the use of highly skilled upholsterers who were required to form, sew, and secure an upholstery facing material to an upholstery cushion base, with the requirement that hand stuhing be employed to provide a smooth, but firm series of individual pattern areas for the tufted assembly, the present method utilizes non or semi-skilled help who are merely required to secure the individual buttons 18 through marked locations on the facing material 16 and pass the buttons 18 through the upholstery cushion 12 and secure same thereto. The utilization of the materials illustrated and the proper placement of the tacking points Within the upholstery facing 16 ensures that the fold lines 22, 40 will be automatically formed in the proper location to produce the desirable configuration of tufted furniture. Furthermore, the uniform nature of the product produced, due to the uniform nature of the individual components supplied, produces a product of at least equal characteristics to that produced by the most costly heretofore known method. The sharp reduction of laborand material cost by the use of the present invention in no way diminishes the value of the product produced. In fact, even if there were no savings of labor costs, the present invention would produce a significant advancement in that a superior product is produced, of desirable appearance which provides firm and comfortable resilient qualities which may be produced by any up holstery shop having a minimum of upholstery facilities.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a method for manufacture and a product for an upholstery panel for use with upholstered furniture which produces a product, outwardly appearing similar to heretofore well known tufted assemblies, how ever, which are far less expensive to produce than the heretofore known assemblies and which afford superior qualities as to uniformity of product and comfort for use in articles of upholstered furniture.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What I claim is:

1. The method of forming an article of tufted upholstered furniture comprising the steps of forming a cushion from a front panel and a rear panel including a plurality of diamond-shaped areas having adjacent sides and depressed corners, placing a layer of batting over the front panel of said cushion, forming an upholstery facing of an area greater than the area of said cushion, forming a series of tacking points inwardly of the edges of said facing in systematic relationship to the corners of said diamond-shaped areas of said cushion with the distances between said tacking points on said facing being greater than the corresponding straight line distances between the respective corners of the diamond-shaped areas in said cushion, placing said facing over the front panel of said cushion with said batting therebetween, inserting upholstery buttons through said facing at said tacking points, through said batting and through said cushion at the corners of said diamond-shaped areas working progressively from one side of said facing to the opposite side such that pleat lines are formed in said facing along the edges of said diamond-shaped areas, securing said facing by said upholstery buttons to said rear panel of said cushion to form a completed tufted upholstery assembly, and placing and securing said assembly on and to the frame of an article of furniture.

2. The method of forming an article of tufted upholstered furniture comprising the steps of forming a cushion from a front panel and a rear panel including a plurality of diamond-shaped areas having adjacent sides and depressed corners, placing a layer of batting over the front panel of said cushion, forming an upholstery facing of an area greater than the area of said cushion, forming a series of tacking points inwardly of the edges of said facing in systematic relationship to the corners of said diamond-shaped areas of said cushion with the distances between said tacking points on said facing being greater than the respective straight line distances between the corners of the diamond-shaped areas in said cushion, placing said facing over the front panel of said cushion with said batting therebetween, securing said facing at said tacking points to said cushion at the corners of said diamond-shaped areas working from one edge of said facing toward the opposite edge to form a completed tufted upholstery assembly with pleat lines formed in said facing along the edges of said diamond-shaped areas, and placing and securing said assembly on and to the frame of an article of furniture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,025,645 Rilling May 7, 1912 1,383,431 Shepler July 5, 1921 2,725,925 Feinerman Dec. 6, 1955 2,745,212 Guzzino May 15, 1956 2,849,058 Bulleri et a1. Aug. 26, 1958 2,913,041 Mathison Nov. 17, 1959 

1. THE METHOD OF FORMING AN ARTICLE OF TUFTED UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF FORMING A CUSHION FROM A FRONT PANEL AND A REAR PANEL INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF DIAMOND-SHAPED AREAS HAVING ADJACENT SIDES AND DEPRESSED CORNERS, PLACING A LAYER OF BATTING OVER THE FRONT PANEL OF SAID CUSHION, FORMING AN UPHOLSTERY FACING OF AN AREA GREATER THAN THE AREA OF SAID CUSHION, FORMING A SERIES OF TACKING POINTS INWARDLY OF THE EDGES OF SAID FACING IN SYSTEMATIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE CORNERS OF SAID DIAMOND-SHAPED AREAS OF SAID CUSHION WITH THE DISTANCES BETWEEN SAID TACKING POINTS ON SAID FACING BEING GREATER THAN THE CORRESPONDING STRAIGHT LINE DISTANCES BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE CORNERS OF THE DIAMOND-SHAPED AREAS IN SAID CUSHION, PLACING SAID FACING OVER THE FRONT PANEL OF SAID 